Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unless you're actually a robot, it's easy to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Especially when it comes to a tender matter like
performance reviews. And there are many resources out there that list forbidden performance review topics like
personalities, rumors, or speculations. That's great and all, but now you're self-conscious about what you can say.
So here's a helpful list of 100 phrases — based off the book Effective Phrases For Performance Appraisals — that you should
start including in your performance reviews. Keep in mind that these are starter phrases and you should be specific when you're
writing any feedback for reviews.
Achievement
1. Achieves optimal levels of performance and accomplishment with / for ...
2. Provides strong evidence of [specific accomplishment]
3. Excels at developing programs / strategies that have delivered X results
4. Improved production by X% through [specific task]
5. Exceeded the original goal of X by X% through [specific task]
Administration
6. Continuously examines administrative effectiveness and seeks better procedures such as [tasks]
7. Develops successful administrative strategies such as [task] that led to [results]
8. Establishes effective systems for information retrieval through [task]
9. Improves administrative support systems through [task]
10. Keeps documents organized via [task] to avoid duplicate information
Coaching
11. Shows a sincere interest in employees and the solutions to their problems
12. Lends support and guidance to employees by [task]
13. Uses sound coaching techniques to solve disciplinary problems
14. Provides continuous coaching
15. Is highly respected by employees for sharing concerns, problems, and opportunities
Communication Skills
16. Effectively communicates expectations
17. Excels in facilitating group discussions
18. Keeps meetings action oriented by [task]
19. Effectively communicates upward, downward, and laterally
20. Enforces company policies and values without creating negative reactions
Cooperation
21. Encourages collaboration with the team
22. Shares ideas and techniques
23. Builds strong relationships with others by [task]
24. Displays a harmonious and cooperative spirit by [task]
25. Gladly shares expertise
Creativity
26. Seeks creative alternatives such as [examples] that drove [results]
27. Clever and imaginative when confronted with obstacles
28. Is continuously experimenting to drive [results]
29. Initiates and executes creative ideas such as [example]
30. Seeks new ideas and approaches
Delegating
31. Empowers employees with the authority and resources to achieve X results
32. Helps employees gain visibility through [task]
33. Encourages employees to solve their own problems
34. Delegates to match personal strengths
35. Delegates with clearly defined responsibility and authority
Improvement
36. Develops continuous improvement methods
37. Develops totally new strategies
38. Continues to grow and improve
39. Devises improved means of accomplishing results
40. Is continuously planning for improvement
Innovation
41. Develops innovative strategies such as [example] ...
42. Is very innovative under adverse conditions
43. Seeks innovative solutions
44. Fosters a curiosity for innovative possibilities
45. Promotes innovation by [example]
Interpersonal Skills
46. Recognizes the needs of others and reaches out to lend a helping hand
47. Establishes effective working relationships
48. Generates synergy
49. Builds on mutual dependence and understanding
50. Promotes the company culture among peers
Learning Ability
51. Displays an ability to learn rapidly and adapt quickly to changing situations
52. Shares learning experience with peers
53. Promotes a learning culture
54. Committed to continuously learning through [example]
55. Responds quickly to new instructions, situations, methods, and procedures
Management Ability
56. Provides team with support through [example]
57. Collaborates with individual team members to establish a development path
58. Holds employees accountable for their own results
59. Provides team with the resources needed to attain restults
60. Provides support during periods of organizational change
Planning
61. Develops workable action plans
62. Creates flexible plans to meet changing opportunities
63. Effectively puts plans into action
64. Excels in developing strategic alternatives
65. Effectively formulates strategies, tactics, and action plans to drive X results
Potential
66. Is capable of distinguished performance in a higher-level position
67. Has reached the level for promotional consideration
68. Is capable of handling bigger projects and assignments
69. Is making a strong effort to acquire greater experience and skills to increase potential for advancement
70. Is enhancing growth potential through additional education and training
Problem Solving
71. Displays a practical approach to solving problems
72. Develops creative solutions
73. Turns problems into opportunities
74. Effectively solves problems rather than symptoms
75. Is skilled in proposing optional solutions
Productivity
76. Exceeds normal output standards
77. Continuously produces more than expected
78. Is an important contributor to the successes of the department
79. Makes a substantial contribution to the continued operation and growth of the organization
80. Consistently exceeds performance goals
Project Management
81. Completed X project with X results
82. Sets realistic timetables to keep projects on target
83. Is transparent with a project's progress
84. Makes effective use of all available resources when given a project
85. Clearly establishes project goals and objectives
Supervisory Skills
86. Gives consistent recognition to employees
87. Maintains a work situation which stimulates the growth of individual employees
88. Makes certain that employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities
89. Is readily available for support to employees
90. Recognizes and deals with signs of employee burnout
Time Management
91. Consistently meets all deadlines
92. Prepares meeting agendas that are concise and time saving
93. Keeps meetings on schedule
94. Respects the time of others
95. Makes effective use of discretionary time
Vision
96. Excels in living the organiational values
97. Promotes strong support of company's mission and vision
98. Is able to turn visions into actual action plans
99. Demonstrates an ability to transfer vision into execution
100. Excels in contributing to the company's goals
Again, these phrases mean nothing unless you attach specific examples and data to them. To ensure a performance review is truly
effective, remember to evaluate on data rather than assumption.
July 1, 2010
Jeremy Reis
Performance Evaluations, Sample Appraisals, Self Evaluation
Leave a comment
My mind was blank. I stared at my computer screen and couldn’t think of anything else to say. This was my 7th performance
review of the day and I was running out of nice adjectives, good phrases, and catchy comments to make. I needed a break and
really just wanted this process to be over.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? Working on performance evaluations, or even your own self evaluation, and
you’ve run out of things to say? Writing form after form and trying not to repeat yourself? We’re here to help! This site
has hundreds of performance review phrases you can use with your employees and we’ve compiled a few of our favorites to get
you started.
In each category, there are phrases for both positive and negative comments. The positive performance review phrases are for
employees who meet or exceed expectations while the negative performance evaluation phrases are for employees who need
improvement or who are giving an unsatisfactory performance. These phrases can also be used for self evaluations, simply
change the sentence to first hand.
Bill manages his staff to a great attendance score. His staff is frequently among the top performers in the company for on-time
arrivals.
Lenny demonstrates the secret to success is not who works the longest, but who works the smartest. With this said, Lenny is also
one of our top employees for attendance and reliability.
Lyle manages a tough schedule with his staff, yet always maintain adequate staffing levels.
We have had no issues with Timothy’s schedule – he has good attendance and does not deviate from the standard attendance
policy.
Bill always ensures his employees adhere to their lunch schedules and breaks.
Julia begins each day refreshed and ready for any challenges she will face.
Greg’s attention to punctuality has paid off this year, he consistently arrives on time.
Holly is a very good with punctuality, but her staff is not. She needs to better manage the team to company-required schedules.
Frankly, Peter has a ghastly view of on-time attendance. I do not remember a day when he has shown up on time, ready to work.
Bill’s shoddy attendance record must improve in the next 90 days or he will be terminated under the company’s attendance
policy.
Ben is such a quality worker, but unfortunately his punctuality is abysmal. This one area is dragging down Ben’s review and
must be improved.
Jennifer often runs behind schedule throughout a typical work day causing meetings to start late which affects others’ schedules.
She needs to get her schedule in order to help her coworkers.
Ryan is often tardy for work and despite repeated warnings, does not respect the attendance policy.
For most of the year, Jim has had excellent attendance. Over the last several months, he is frequently absent or late for work. Jim
should improve his reliability.
For the most part, Paul has been good with his schedule. However, during the summer months, Paul frequently leaves early or
takes a half day of unscheduled time off on Friday. This provides a bad impression for his coworkers and employees.
Ken’s attitude is an asset to his management skills. He continually builds people up, deals with difficult situations with incredible
posture, and focuses on the positives.
With the incredible pressure we have been feeling as a company, it would be easy for Tim to get down, but he stands firm that the
situation won’t affect his attitude. Tim has a mind-set that few people do and we appreciate that about him.
Penny’s internal bearing is always right on with a focus on the right attitude.
Bill has a cheerful attitude which makes others feel good when he’s around.
One of the difficult things a new manager must learn is how to emphasize the right things and downplay the other things. Brenda
keeps a steady, positive attitude that helps her employees know everything is ok – even when it seemingly isn’t ok!
Holly has one of those attitudes that is always positive. She frequently has a smile on her face and you can tell she enjoys her job.
Greg is a cheerful guy who always makes you feel delighted when you’re around him. We are fortunate to have Greg on our
team.
Thom has an even demeanor through good times and bad. His constant cheer helps others keep their “enthusiasm” – both positive
and negative – in check.
Angela has a soothing personality which reflects in a very calm personality. Her attitude is one which should be emulated.
Bob brings a level of enthusiasm to his job that few can. He is always one of the guys on the team we go to when we need a lift.
When the pressure is on and there is a choice to blink or not, Jack too frequently blinks.
Mary is a good manager, but her mood changes too often for people to keep track of.
Jennifer is an asset in many ways, but her attitude needs to be kept in check.
Bill has a dreadful outlook at times which has a tendency to bring down the entire team.
For the most part, Lenny is a personable guy, but when he gets upset, his attitude turns to shocking. Lenny needs to balance his
personality out and not react so much to negative events.
Tom knows that certain conversations provoke members of his team, yet he continues to be vocal about non-work related topics.
Tom should keep his conversations work related.
Angela has a tendency to erupt over minor things. This causes unease with her coworkers who do not want to set her off.
Terry is quick to show his discontent with work; he should stop to think about how his display affects those around him.
Lindsay is a good person, but any constructive criticism devastates her. We cannot walk on egg shells around her if we want the
team to get better.
Simply put: Jim’s negative attitude negatively affects his work performance. Jim needs to bring his attitude under control.
Wendy has the valuable skill of communicating difficult concepts in easy to understand language.
Peter is quite good at communicating difficult messages with employees, management, and customers.
As an employee, Ted was good at communication, as a manager, Ted has proved an even more effective communicator. His
communication skills have improved tremendously this year.
Kyle is an adept communicator and is one of the best business writers I have had the pleasure of working with. Kyle
communicates very well through his reports and white papers.
Cameron is very good at written communication, however his verbal communication skills can be improved. Cameron should
work on being an active listener.
Allison is excellent at keeping written information about her assignments and projects.
One of Jim’s strengths is his use of candor and effective communication with his employees.
One of Jane’s core strengths is her ability to immediately connect with someone.
Over the past year, Terry has not performed very well in creating an honest and open environment for the employees he
supervises.
Jenny must improve her foreign language skills to stay competitive in this industry.
Greg is not adept at documenting verbal communication. Over the next 90 days, Greg should work on this skill.
One of Todd’s roles is to find consensus among his team members, but he has frequently failed to accomplish this task.
Tom lacks credibility in his messages. His co-workers do not believe he is honest.
Jim does not effectively communicate – both written and verbal communication must be improved.
Cooperation Positive Performance Evaluation Phrases
Frank promotes a team-centered environment.
William is an asset because he can effectively work with other teams and departments.
Julia is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done – even perform tasks or jobs that are not her own.
Isabella coordinates individual workers together to meet deadlines and work effectively as a team.
Kyle refuses to share crucial information with co-workers for fear he will be marginalized.
Manny is very good at individual tasks, but he falls short in cooperating on group projects and in partnership with staff members.
John takes on new tasks with ease, but when it comes time to communicate with other team members and train them on these
tasks, John does not perform very well.
Janet consistently fails to be an effective team member. She needs to improve over the next several months in her teamwork
skills.
Jennifer is too cautious – she is afraid of confrontation so she does not step out to assist when it’s necessary.
George gets upset when co-workers do not help him, yet he does not offer assistance to others.
Greg is far too focused on finding new ways to accomplish things rather than cooperate with others in a process which is already
well tested and defined.
Instead of making do with what she has, Holly tends to complain about a lack of resources and personnel.
Walter creates an exciting atmosphere for his team: one in which new ideas are rewarded and encouraged.
Peter doesn’t accept “we’ve always done it this way” as a solution; instead, he constantly reviews solutions to see if they are the
most effective way of doing things.
Harry encourages his teammates to think outside of the box and to be more creative with solutions.
In meetings, Paul is very good at extracting unique ideas out of people – some you might not consider as very creative people.
Fred is a very creative innovator. Specifically, he solved an on-going problem by looking for a solution from all angles.
When we’re in crisis mode, we know we can turn to Jenny to craft a viable and inventive solution.
Emily has a creative personality which allows her to suggest original ideas. She should continue to adapt this to her position in
the company.
Tom is an innovator at heart – his skill at inspiring new ideas is an asset to our team.
Sally has a creative touch in a sometimes monotonous role within our team – the way she adds inspiration to the day to day tasks
she performs is admirable.
Bill adds an artistic flair to everything he produces which makes his projects much more fun than most.
Kevin has a difficult time thinking “outside of the box” and creating new and untested solutions.
Jim is a creative guy but he has a tendency to act before thinking. This causes problems when an untested or unexamined idea is
moved forward too quickly.
There is a place and time for realism, yet Wendy consistently strikes a practical, hard-nosed look at things without thinking how
she could creatively solve a problem.
Frank has shown a tendency to be a matter-of-fact manager, but in his position, thinking in a more resourceful manner would do
him well.
Whenever Bob runs into an obstacle, he has a tendency to stop and ask for help. We encourage him to develop solutions – or
even recommendations – before constantly asking for help.
Terry does not research solutions deeply enough and often just compiles ideas found on Web sites. This does not help for many
of the problems we run into.
Jennifer seems unwilling to consider new or intriguing ideas, even when the team runs out of your run-of-the-mill ideas.
Nancy is one of our most proficient customer service trainers and demonstrates this when she’s working in customer care.
Thomas understands how to listen to customers and extract those details which make a big difference when dealing with our
clients.
Tom is adept at having happy customers and successfully upselling them at the same time.
Teri deals with customer complaints with a calm demeanor. Teri is very good at handling difficult situations with customers.
Paul works with customers very well. He is very good at dealing with irate customers in a calm and rational manner.
Paula understands the latitude to ensure customer satisfaction and does everything necessary to retain customers.
Lenny is able to handle his clients well and does not have any complaints against him.
John’s average time per call is too high and needs to be reduced this year. He needs to learn how to handle customers in a more
efficient manner.
Ryan is very good at dealing with customers on the phone, but when they come in the store, he doesn’t handle one on one contact
very well.
In most areas of customer service Harry does a good job, but when it comes to difficult situations, Harry does not understand how
to calm the customer down and follow the script.
Jenny does not understand how to overcome client objections and instead gives up to early.
Bill has consistently shown he does not listen to his customers well.
Greg has not fully understood why customer service training is important and frequently is late to class and does not participate.
Bill follows the phone scripting in a rigid and inflexible way. In today’s market, we need some creativity and flexibility in
dealing with customers, yet Bill does not seem to understand that.
Teri can handle the run of the mill customer service situation, but the more complex issues seem to cause her to freeze and not
react.
Jennifer consistently impresses us with her willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
We depend on Greg to turn in good performance each day and he never fails to impress.
Ben faithfully commits to get the job done and consistently performs at or above expectations.
When we think of “steadfast,” April comes to mind. She is a loyal and trustworthy employee.
When we have a situation that must get done, we turn to Harry. Harry has our trust because he’s proven to us he can get the job
done.
Jennifer is willing to get her hands dirty with her employees to ensure the job gets completed on time.
We know that if overtime is required, Walter is willing to work until the project is finished.
There are many times we have tasks that absolutely must be completed by a given time. In these circumstances, we know we can
turn to Peter to get the task accomplished on time.
Holly is usually very steady in her work, but there have been several instances where she has been unreliable.
Unfortunately, Ryan does not ever put in overtime even if the job requires it. He is unwilling to work beyond his normally
scheduled 40 hours.
In this economy, we need people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Julia is not one of those people.
Peter’s reliability is questionable. Too often, his work results are inconsistent and need to be checked too frequently.
While most of his coworkers are willing to work late to get the project finished, Kyle seems content with leaving the work for
others to do.
Kenny does not demonstrate a concern for what we think of him and whether or not we believe he is up to the job.
Lenny is not a dependable employee. If we know a task must be completed, we usually pass him over and find someone else to
do the task.
Peter is not reliable for his effort and does not demonstrate a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job accomplished.
Even if we are behind on production, Holly does not show a willingness to help her employees out. Once promoted to supervisor,
she has taken a hands off approach to the detriment of her team.
Jack makes people feel at home with him. His natural ability to work with people is a great asset to our team.
Bill handles himself and the relationships with his coworkers very well.
Kevin can quickly build a positive relationship with people and understands how to relate with them.
Holly is able to create a sustain a positive, professional relationship with her coworkers, direct reports, and management team.
Tim is a positive influence to those around him and inspires them to work harder.
Bill has a nice understanding of how to relate to people and make them comfortable.
Greg seemingly can strike up a conversation with anybody. He has a gift in relating to people around him.
Pete is a nice and affable guy who works well with others.
Ben has a natural rapport with people and does very well at communicating with others.
Jane seems to find it easy to connect with others and relate well with them.
John has an excellent impression among the management team, yet his fellow team members cannot stand working with him.
Tim does not understand the different between “friend” and “coworker” and only wants to focus any energy on friendships and
not building good working relationships.
Fred should continue to work on cultivating good relationships with those around him.
Ken works well with members of his own team, yet he has an “us” against “them” mentality when it comes to others within the
company.
Julie is brisk with her directions and crude with her feedback.
Tyler does not appreciate how happy team members can affect his own job performance and continually upsets those around him.
Paula seems to shrink when she’s around others and does not cultivate good relations with her co-workers.
Fred has a difficult situation with the team he manages, yet he has turned them around in excellent fashion.
Tim is a high performer and leads a team of high performers. His leadership has contributed to very high productivity from this
department.
If John were a coach, he would be considered a “player’s coach.” He understands his team and how to motivate them to high
performance.
Walter manages his team well and receives good performance from them.
Peter is an effective manager and understands how to supervise his employees to meet expectations.
Though Mandy had a rough start, she ended the year well with her team turning in the best performance of all the groups.
Greg is in a difficult situation: he inherited a team that frankly was a mess. In short order, he turned the team around to one of our
best performers.
Terry has received good feedback from his team and his managers.
Thomas is very adept at managing difficult employees and turning their energies towards higher performance.
Kyle is an adequate supervisor, but does not excel in this area. He does not always relate well with his employees and this shows
in the group’s work effort.
Bryan has not made the transition from co-worker to manager very well. He has a difficult time separating his personal
relationships with professional ones.
Paul does not understand how to set team goals and manage his team to achieve them. He seems to always be in “survival mode”
without focusing on the goals necessary to move his team forward.
Harry understands how to manage personalities similar to his, but has not worked very hard managing other types of personalities
on his team. He is coping with being a manage, but survival isn’t the goal: excellence is. Harry needs to better understand
personality types and how they interrelate.
Tom is a decent task manager, but falls short when it comes to setting a vision.
We’ve experienced a few issues with Bill in a leadership position with the team that must be resolved. These issues could be
detrimental to the performance of the department and should be the focus of the next few months.
Harry understands how to handle difficult employees and manage a high maintenance staff, yet we continue to have above
average turnover on his team. This year, we need to focus on what issues are causing such high turnover.
Jim is a good supervisor, but has failed at managing his staff to high productivity.
Paul does not understand the intricacies of managing a high performance team and has yet to perform.
Julie was a great individual performer but so far has not proven she is a good manager.
Bill has a tendency to play favorites and not treat all employees fairly.
We’ve always been impressed with Jack’s ability to work well with others, but this year, he has really shined in this area. Jack’s
one of those team members you would love to have on your team.
Whenever a large project comes in, Tom is always one of the first to volunteer to help to get the job done.
It’s nice to see how Holly isn’t concerned about herself and continually contributes to the success of those around her.
Mary is a team player and understands how to help others in times of need.
Our company is composed of many teams and Bill’s ability to work with and understand the team dynamics has been beneficial
to the firm.
Ben isn’t concerned about who gets the credit, just that the task gets accomplished.
Bryan focuses on getting his own work accomplished, but does not take the time to help those members of his team who are
struggling to keep up.
Peter was very good at teamwork when he was just a member of the team, now that he is in a supervisory role, Peter has lost
much of those teamwork skills.
Paul relies on his own knowledge and abilities without asking others for help and their expertise.
Manny is a team player most of the time, but frequently we have problems with his follow through when other teammates need
help.
Brian is inner focused and does not think about the needs of those around him.
Fred seems more intent on accomplishing his tasks rather than assisting others who might need help.
Andrea comes from a very individual focused work environment to a team focused one and has struggled to adjust.
Esther focuses her team on accomplishing individual tasks without thinking about what could be accomplished if the team
worked more cohesively together.
Lyle works with the team well when his own projects are coming due and he needs help, but once those are accomplished, he
does not frequently help others on their projects.
Ben is able to grasp complex technical concepts and explain them in easy to understand ways.
In the fast paced world of technology, things always seem to change so rapidly. With some of our systems being old, we rely on
Ted’s expertise in the previous generation systems.
Ida deals with very complex topics and discussions, yet always seems to bring it to a level of understanding the rest of us can
relate to.
Whenever we have a very technical problem, Holly is one of the first people we turn to. Her ability to grasp technology is an
asset to our team.
There are a lot of intricacies to Bob’s job, yet he makes it all seem so simple.
As we implement new technology, Ryan is one of the first to pick it up and understand it.
Though our systems have been in place for many years and are well documented, Bob does not have the aptitude to understand
the technical nuances they present.
Fred’s understanding of business is very good, however, his ability to communicate with the technical members of his team is
holding him back.
Peter needs to continue to improve his technical knowledge through training and self study.
Jennifer is not a technician, yet some basic technical knowledge is required of her role. Jennifer needs to work on her technical
knowledge.
Rote memorization of technical manuals is not the same as technical mastery. Bill needs to work on being able to think outside of
the box, beyond the manuals, and troubleshoot technical issues which are not documented.
Paul is not technical enough for his role.
Terry surprised us by not being more technical in nature considering his background.
Technical concepts sometime seem to pass right by Walter. Walter should learn the technical concepts required for his position.
In such a fast changing world, keeping up with the latest technology can sometimes be difficult. However, in his role, Tom needs
to focus more on understanding the trends and changes in the marketplace.